E-learning and the best strategy for business

There are any number of bespoke e-learning courses and LMSs available through a bewildering array of e-learning service providers. The difficulty for businesses can be in knowing which way to tread. It very tempting to “cherry pick” what suits the business best at any one given point in time.

This however is not the most efficient approach. Whilst we’re not suggesting that you choose just one LMS provider to speak to, the best approach is to speak to a few, high-quality, providers to determine just how each could potentially deliver the best platform to suit your business.

Talk to a Company with E-Learning User Experience

In order to get the most from e-learning, a sound strategy needs to be conceived that’s structured around the company’s business goals, taking into account how to train personnel to achieve these goals, not on a standalone piecemeal basis, but on a progressive scheduled basis.

For businesses making their first foray into e-learning, it may prove beneficial to talk to other businesses that have had experience with using a platform; to discover out what worked for them and what didn’t, as well as what pitfalls to look out for.

Setting the Goals

In order to develop a successful, all encompassing, e-learning strategy, discussions should be held with all members of staff who will be involved. This includes both those who will need training, and the colleagues and managers who hope to benefit from that training. The starting point will be the goals of the business, because e-learning will be targeted towards helping the company to achieve those goals. However, these goals are usually a moving target, and will change as market conditions change, so it will be necessary to involve those who will be key in future decision-making too.

This means that when deciding on a strategy, it’s necessary too to think about future proofing, especially given the fast-moving pace of technology, the use of BYOD in the workplace, use of the cloud and other technologies.

Internal Staff Meetings

Most bespoke training is targeted at specific disciplines, which departmental managers should already be familiar with. Any good manager should be able to coach and mentor or his/her staff, so it is important to get their input and opinions too. It’s also important to hold discussions with the members of staff who will be taking the e-learning courses. It’s important to manage their expectations and to take on board their needs, fears, and aspirations. The IT department will also have to be involved because they understand the media through which the e-learning will be deployed, assuming that the company in question has dedicated IT staff.

No 2 Businesses are alike – Nor should any 2 E-learning courses be!

The best e-learning strategies for some businesses are bespoke courses that are individually tailored to a specific organisations needs. No two businesses are the same. They each have their own goals; they each have their own business ethics, their own methodologies, and they each have their own unique character. Devising a course structure that addresses all of these points is essential in order to gain the most benefit. If the course isn’t designed to help the student to learn how the organisation they work for needs and wants things to be done, it will not be effective.

Training at all Levels

E-learning can be carried out at any level, from the untrained, inexperienced novice, to line managers and top level management. The strategy must recognise this and put curriculum in place to facilitate it.

Watch the Strategy Unfold

Depending on the needs of the organisation, the LMS platform will more than likely need to have quite a few levels. From training new and junior staff, to retraining older members of staff in modern working regulatory requirements. This means that once the LMS is in place, it’s a good idea to communicate fully with the provider in order to check that it’s continuing to work on all levels.

This is something that can also be monitored then to prove ROI to the finance department.

The Theory of Evolution

One thing to bear in mind is that an e-learning strategy needs to continue to evolve in the same way that businesses continue to evolve. Standing still leads to stagnation. The e-learning strategy is, in effect, a work in progress, and always will be. Without the possibility to change and reflect the changes in the organisation’s goals and operating procedures, it will simply become out of date and therefore useless.

Making the Right Choice & Working with the Right Service Provider

Choosing the right strategy for a business’s e-learning ethos is all important as to its success, as is choosing the right e-learning service provider to partner with. After all, any organisation going into the venture for the first time will have no experience to draw on. Working with the right service provider is a doorway through to knowledge and depth of experience that can be drawn upon to help to get the strategy right.

As we’ve mentioned before, much of this is down to planning and coming up with the right strategy means getting involved with providers, asking for demonstrations of the e-learning products and ensuring they work for you.

A good provider will be only too happy to do this, as well as discuss any bespoke needs that you might have. As mentioned earlier, it’s not just the individual learners that have to be accounted for, but the business as a whole and the potential benefits to the company.

Thinking about implementing an LMS? Not sure where to start? Why not contact us today for a friendly discussion about what we can do for your business.